10 more of the UK’s best small towns: readers’ travel tips

When approached across parkland from the west, Beverley pulls off this neat trick of making you think you’re in a Jane Austen novel. It causes a tremor of disorientation. Is this right? And then come the cobbled streets, the gracious Georgian residences, the top-notch church in the middle that has yet to be converted into a pub or a nightclub – that’s Beverley Minster, a gothic masterpiece. Look out for the 14th-century Percy tomb. Are we in the 21st century? No, of course not. Mind you, the good old days have their drawbacks. Once, searching for food at midday, I came across a fish and chip shop with a “Closed for lunch” sign on the door. Fortunately, not all establishments are so old-fashioned. Saturday sees a good market and there are some tremendous festivals: the folk music and literature festivals are consistently worth attending. But it’s the town’s gentle Georgian ambience that delights: break out the walking canes and crinoline, and stroll. Even Austen’s Lady Catherine de Bourgh would be impressed.